First Vanguard

First Vanguard (先導者ファーストヴァンガード Fāsuto Vangādo; abbreviated FV) is an official term which refers to a card that each player must choose to be their vanguard when starting the fight. It is also unofficially known as a "starting vanguard" or "starter". It is indicated by its own icon in Cardfight!! Online () and Cardfight!! Vanguard ZERO () respectively.

Details

Before shuffling the deck or drawing the opening hand, each fighter chooses any one grade 0 card from their main deck and places it on their Vanguard Circle face-down. This card is known as the player's "first vanguard". The first vanguard counts toward the deck's requirement of 50 cards, and the sleeve used for the first vanguard must match the rest of the main deck.

With the introduction of Ride Deck, the grade 0 a fighter has chosen to put in it is used as the First Vanguard. The sleeve for the First Vangaurd must thus follow the Ride Deck's rule: That is, it must be different from the Main Deck.

Card Restrictions

A card may be officially restricted from being used as a first vanguard. This is often done because the card has an extremely useful ability that was deemed unfair to allow a player to have access to it from the start of the game. A card being restricted from being a first vanguard does not affect the number of that card that may be included in a deck; it is simply not allowed to be chosen as the player's first vanguard at the start of the game.

On the reverse, notably during the D Series, some Deck mandates the use of specific First Vanguard. These mandates are listed among Card Restrictions and Fighter Rules.

Variations

Forerunner

Instead of staying in the Soul after being rode upon for no purpose except to be used as cost later, Forerunner lets the player reuse such First Vanguards as a rear-guard. Their card abilities usually involve removing themselves from the circle, while others continue to provide attack capabilities.

For Ride Chain, the newer variants also become a Forerunner in case the grade 1 was not ridden, providing a fail-safe option.

V Series

See also: FV Order

In V Series, all First Vanguards share the same ability that make the player draw a card when they are rode upon. After the release of V Trial Deck 09: Shinemon Nitta, all such First Vanguards also give the player a Quick Shield Ticket if the player rode upon them while the opponent's Vanguard is Grade 1 or greater. All previously released First Vanguards also receive errata to give player a Quick Shield, regardless of their release prior to this update.

D Series

See also: FV D

In D Series, most First Vanguards also share the same ability that make the player draw a card when rode upon, but only if the player strictly went second.

Other Special Variations

• Neon Gyze
• Gold Egg
• Griphosid / Sephirosid
• Mushiking: King of the Beetles
• Fashionable Witch, Love / Fashionable Witch, Berry
• <Flag> cards